Bingo. believe it or not, airliners do not like losing airplanes. Their profit margins are too thin to tolerate too many losses. Insurance companies don't like paying multi-hundred million dollar payments for crashed airplanes and lawsuit settlements. These two together can do a much better job of being self regulating while also being agile enough to deal with new challenges and move past solved ones. If it makes people feel better, only fly the airline that also uses a third party like UL or an airline equivalent to inspect/monitor/audit.

BEFSX41 or something like that. In the day, Kazaa/Morpheus would crush mine and require a reboot, as would random days throughout the month.

In 2006, I replaced it with a D-Link DGL-4100 which only needed to be rebooted when I felt like upgrading the firmware or (more irritatingly) when changing certain features. IN 2008, I went to Cisco 1711 router for the experience, and then to an ASA5505.

I did that USA-centric thing again. Sorry.

The same licensing things applies for vessels flagged in other countries as well. I don't how harmonized the permits/licenses are, but I get the impression the classifications all have an easy to determine equivalent in each country that's part of the treaty(ies).

Icom is another well known company that makes Marine HF and VHF equipment. If you have a general or higher (or older equivalent) amateur radio, you can use the HF marine radio to talk on the amateur radio frequencies if it has that capability (the Icom HF can be configured to operate on amateur frequencies).

You will also need at least a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's License http://wireless.fcc.gov/commoperators/index.htm?job=rr to legally operate an HF radio on a marine vessel OR a VHF in other country's territorial waters. You may also need a ship's license http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=licensing&id=ship_stations.

I've yet to meet a socialist (yourself included) who acknowledges that there is little to no choice about driving on interstates (or public roads for that matter) and minimal choices for many about sending your kid to public school. I do like this new emerging 'in for a penny, in for a pound' thing being espoused by the socialists. I like to counter it by pointing out how much of their daily lives they effectively owe to large, multinational corporations and use this is as justification for more corporate power.

Roads are paid for by their users via taxes on fuel, tires, vehicle registration. There is little to no ability to get a 'free ride' on public roads. It's not socialism to use something you paid for.
The government has a near complete monopoly on roads. They don't have the overhead of taxes like private company would, they have the power of eminent domain to claim the property necessary for the roads, and finally they have the power of sovereign immunity to protect them from lawsuits when some moron crashes on their road and decides to blame the road's 'owner' instead of himself. This near complete lack of choice means that you can't legitimately criticize, nor can you read too much into a person's decision to use the public roads.

Public schools are funded by the state and local governments via property taxes, bonds, sales tax, income tax, etc. and without choice. You can't choose to to pay for the local school district. If you have kids, they MUST go to school. If you can't afford to pay double for each kid's education, then you'll probably send them to public schools. Again, not much room for choice for most people.

Last time I checked, nearly EVERYONE must pay for social security and medicare. Why is it wrong for me to demand to receive what I paid for?

What about all the electronics that are not cell phones? My laptop, ereader,music player, etc. still have to be turned off until the captain says so

I also don't see why airplanes can't set up little pico cells that all the phones can connect to.

Whenever anything carries with it legal penalties, especially the heavy ones that violating air travel rules can, it's open for debate, even if the rule is supposedly only a minor inconvenience

Not once in 24 years of flying have I heard a peep about window shades. That's a couple hundred flights on numerous airlines.

You can still wear earplugs and sleep masks at all phases of the flight.

Only when I had an old blackberry. My last 3 phones make no such noises.

Those people weren't at 15000 feet, much less the more typical 27-35000 feet.

This is pathetically stupid, and a significant overreach. Basically, the position of the CPSC is that it's not OK for 13 year olds to have Buckyballs anymore.
14 year olds? Yes. 13 year olds? No.

How many died?

It's not his fault if a 6 year old dies. It's the fault of the parents for letting their 6 year old play with them.

Then they should have a talk with that child's parents.